Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, is thought to be a source of precious metals that value from $345 billion to $500 billion. Alaska’s economy would greatly benefit from this mining project due to tremendous job creation and local business exposure around surrounding the Bristol Bay area. However, the downside to this mining project would be that the surrounding natural environment would be at risk to harmful chemical exposure. The water could become contaminated, resulting in poisoned fish, therefore affecting the entire food chain. Bristol Bay is home to grizzly bears, moose, caribou, and the world’s largest population of sockeye salmon. The project could potentially transform the area into an environment vacant of natural activity. People who used to depend on the wildlife in the Bristol Bay area as a source of traditional recreation, such as hunting, fishing, and camping, would no longer be able to partake in those activities in which the previous generations enjoyed.
What I hope to gain from this research is whether the positive of the mining project outweigh the negatives, vise-versa, or if the positives and negatives are just about equal.
This project pertains to the ideas talked about in class because the mining project is highly weighed on monetary value versus the natural environment, just as the highway system in America is. With any preservation project, it always seems like monetary value is always standing up against any other aspect of preservation, such as historical importance or architectural significance.
I am researching this project because, though I don’t consider myself a ‘tree hugger’, I am concerned about the natural environment and I believe in preserving the beauty of the world and value natural beauty over money. However, I also believe in progressing the World’s economy, so I feel like researching this topic will allow me to come to a sound consensus of how I feel towards the subject and help me decide whether I should stand for or against the mining project.
"Grizzly Bear." Photograph. Bario Neal. Ben Knight. 2011. Web. 10 Oct 2011.
"Bristol Bay sockeye salmon." Photograph. Bario Neal. Ben Knight. 2011. Web. 10 Oct 2011.
What an interesting topic! It sounds like it will make for a really intelligent discussion/research paper. This makes me think more of the effects on the land and the food chain than the loss of natural beauty, though that is of course, very important as well, as is the money and jobs created by the tourism industry that would obviously be lost. Rather than just displacing people, this would displace entire ecosystems, and the ramifications of something like this would most likely be disastrous. But no one ever mentions these things to people in city council meetings, etc, or else these things get so downplayed. This is why we keep losing our natural resources. I am just saying that your topic is raising a ton of interesting arguments, and I am sure it will be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWould it kill off any type of animal that may be extinct or almost extinct within the area? The beauty of an area like this is unbelievable, something that should be looked into and what the best ways are to go about this project. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteGreat images to entice your readers into the topic. It should result in a very interesting article.
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